Monday, September 09, 2013

Daily Devotional Thought--For Monday

Collect of the
Week (Proper 18-C)

O
merciful Lord, You did not spare Your only Son but delivered Him up for us all.
Grant us courage and strength to take up the cross and follow Him, who lives
and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

1
Kings 21:1-16 (From the Bible Story Lectionary)

1 Now Naboth
the Jezreelite had a vineyard in Jezreel, beside the palace of Ahab king of
Samaria. 2 And after this
Ahab said to Naboth, "Give me your vineyard, that I may have it for a
vegetable garden, because it is near my house, and I will give you a better
vineyard for it; or, if it seems good to you, I will give you its value in
money." 3 But Naboth
said to Ahab, "The LORD forbid that I should give you the inheritance of
my fathers." 4 And Ahab
went into his house vexed and sullen because of what Naboth the Jezreelite had
said to him, for he had said, "I will not give you the inheritance of my
fathers." And he lay down on his bed and turned away his face and would
eat no food.

5 But Jezebel
his wife came to him and said to him, "Why is your spirit so vexed that
you eat no food?" 6 And
he said to her, "Because I spoke to Naboth the Jezreelite and said to him,
'Give me your vineyard for money, or else, if it please you, I will give you
another vineyard for it.' And he answered, 'I will not give you my
vineyard.'" 7 And
Jezebel his wife said to him, "Do you now govern Israel? Arise and eat
bread and let your heart be cheerful; I will give you the vineyard of Naboth
the Jezreelite."

8 So she wrote
letters in Ahab's name and sealed them with his seal, and she sent the letters
to the elders and the leaders who lived with Naboth in his city. 9 And she wrote in the letters,
"Proclaim a fast, and set Naboth at the head of the people. 10 And set two worthless men
opposite him, and let them bring a charge against him, saying, 'You have cursed1
God and the king.' Then take him out and stone him to death." 11 And the men of his city, the
elders and the leaders who lived in his city, did as Jezebel had sent word to
them. As it was written in the letters that she had sent to them, 12 they proclaimed a fast and set
Naboth at the head of the people. 13
And the two worthless men came in and sat opposite him. And the worthless men
brought a charge against Naboth in the presence of the people, saying,
"Naboth cursed God and the king." So they took him outside the city
and stoned him to death with stones. 14
Then they sent to Jezebel, saying, "Naboth has been stoned; he is
dead."

15 As soon as
Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned and was dead, Jezebel said to Ahab,
"Arise, take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, which he
refused to give you for money, for Naboth is not alive, but dead." 16 And as soon as Ahab heard that
Naboth was dead, Ahab arose to go down to the vineyard of Naboth the
Jezreelite, to take possession of it.

Catechism: The Ninth & Tenth Commandments

What is the Ninth Commandment?

You
shall not covet your neighbor’s house.

What does this mean?

We should fear
and love God so that we do scheme to get our neighbor’s inheritance or house,
or get it in a way which only appears right, but help and be of service to him
in keeping it.

What is the Tenth
Commandment?

You shall not covet
your neighbor’s wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or
anything that belongs to your neighbor.

What does this mean?

We should fear
and love God so that we do not entice or force away our neighbor’s wife,
workers, or animals, or turn them against him, but urge them to stay and do
their duty.

Devotion

In the name of T Jesus.

In the story above, we might be tempted to think that
Jezebel was alone in her guilt. But the
Ninth and Tenth Commandment indict Ahab as well. It’s not obvious at first. Ahab asked Naboth for his vineyard, and it
was Jezebel that conceived and carried out the plot. What makes Ahab complicit in this sin?

A careful examination of Luther’s meaning to the Ninth
Commandments helps us out. There we see
this important phrase “or get it in a way that only appears right.” That is to say, in our scheming to get our
neighbor’s house or inheritance, even a plan that allows us to appear innocent
does not free us from the guilt of having schemed and plotted to take what the
LORD has given to another.

Sure, it was Jezebel who plotted and schemed, but it was
Ahab’s authority which allowed the plot to be carried out. If Ahab would have spoken up, and honored his
neighbor Naboth; if Ahab would have kept the Seventh Commandment, and helped
Naboth to improve and protect his possession, then the covetous heart of
Jezebel would have been kept from giving birth to greater sin.

In this story, we understand what James meant when he
wrote, “But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own
desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it
is fully grown brings forth death” (James 1:14-15). In the story above, the enticing desire for
the vineyard, having given birth to the sinful plot of Jezebel, became fully
grown in the death of Naboth.

Ahab knew that he could hide behind his name, and the
authority of his kingly office. By
allowing Jezebel to carry out her plot, he would have the vineyard, and
everything would appear to be right.
And while appearance might create reality in the minds of men, it
doesn’t satisfy the LORD.

Contrast this with the heart of Christ, who, instead of
taking from others, gives of Himself for the benefit of others. In sacrificing His life for the sins of the
world, He gave us the priceless treasure of life and salvation. By His Spirit, we will learn to put to death
our covetous desires, that they might not grow up into outward acts against our
neighbor. And in so doing, we will also
learn to be content with whatever the LORD decides to give. And thankfully, it is the Father’s good
pleasure to give us the Kingdom, for the sake of His Son, who serves us with
His Word, so that by faith, it would be ours forever.

In the name of T Jesus. Amen.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, touch our cold and loveless hearts, and fill
them with the warmth of Your love, that we may reach out to all who are in
need. Amen (TLSB, p. 575).

Daily Prayer (For Monday)

We pray…for faith to live in the promises of Holy
Baptism; for one’s calling and daily work; for the unemployed; for the
salvation and well-being of our neighbors; for schools, colleges, and
seminaries; for good government and for peace.